Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez recently made headlines when he surprisingly signed a seven-year contract extension that will void the remaining two years he had on his old deal to keep him locked up through 2032. The $175 million deal not only solidifies the MVP candidate as a fixture in Cleveland’s lineup for years to come, but also opens up the possibility of him beginning and ending an entire 20-year career in Cleveland.
He is a special player who means everything to this organization and this city, and it’s heartwarming to see him get rewarded for it. Unfortunately, there are a few pieces of hardware he hasn’t been rewarded with for his efforts over the years, namely an MVP trophy despite getting close so many times.
Sarah Langs of MLB.com recently reminded fans just how close he has come and shared some perspective on how atypical it is for a player to get that close that many times without taking home an MVP. With his fourth top-three MVP finish in 2025, Ramirez actually set an unfortunate record.
“José Ramírez finished top-three for the fourth time in 2025, giving him sole possession of the most such MVP voting finishes without winning the award. That’s right — since the honor was established in 1931, no player has gotten that close that often without taking home a win,” Langs posted on X.
José Ramírez finished top-three for the fourth time in 2025, giving him sole possession of the most such MVP voting finishes without winning the award
That’s right — since the honor was established in 1931, no player has gotten that close that often without taking home a win https://t.co/bl2UEH2gmt
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) January 27, 2026
As stellar as Ramirez has been, he has had the unfortunate distinction of his prime overlapping with Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, and Mike Trout. Aside from the top-three finishes, he also has three other seasons where he has finished fourth, fifth, and sixth in voting, which is a testament to his remarkable consistency.
The closest he came was in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season when he finished second. Unfortunately, that was the year Jose Abreu swooped in and posted a .987 OPS and drove in 60 runs in 60 games to snag an improbable MVP win.
Whether he wins the award or not, Ramirez has been Cleveland’s MVP for well over a decade and will continue to be so through at least 2032. He is indispensable to this franchise, and perhaps if he keeps raking like he has been, the stars will align for him to lead this team to a World Series and win an MVP in the process.
NEXT: Guardians Star Gets Left Out Of Notable Left Fielder List
